CVE-2017-2765 in Isilon InsightIQ
Summary
by MITRE
EMC Isilon InsightIQ 4.1.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.0, 3.2.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.0, 3.1.1, 3.1.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.0 is affected by an authentication bypass vulnerability that could potentially be exploited by attackers to compromise the affected system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2765 affects EMC Isilon InsightIQ versions 4.1.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.0, 3.2.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.0, 3.1.1, 3.1.0, 3.0.1, and 3.0.0, representing a critical authentication bypass flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise storage solutions. This vulnerability resides within the InsightIQ management interface which provides monitoring and analytics capabilities for EMC Isilon storage systems, making it a particularly dangerous weakness given the privileged access it grants to system administrators and monitoring personnel.
The technical flaw manifests through improper authentication mechanisms that allow attackers to bypass the standard login procedures without providing valid credentials. This authentication bypass occurs at the application layer and affects the web-based management interface of InsightIQ, where the system fails to properly validate user credentials before granting access to administrative functions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and session management controls that permit unauthorized access to sensitive system configuration and monitoring data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical storage monitoring information, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, and disruption of storage operations. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to access detailed system performance metrics, configuration settings, and other sensitive operational data that would normally be restricted to authorized personnel. The implications extend beyond simple unauthorized access as the compromised system could serve as a foothold for further attacks within the storage network infrastructure.
Organizations utilizing affected EMC Isilon InsightIQ versions face significant security risks including potential data breaches, system integrity compromise, and operational disruption. The vulnerability creates opportunities for attackers to escalate privileges and gain deeper access to storage environments, potentially affecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of enterprise data. Given that InsightIQ provides monitoring capabilities for large-scale storage systems, the impact of unauthorized access could be extensive across multiple storage volumes and data repositories.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the vendor-provided security updates, as well as implementing network segmentation to restrict access to InsightIQ management interfaces. Organizations should enforce strict access controls, implement multi-factor authentication where possible, and conduct comprehensive security assessments of their storage infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and represents a significant concern under ATT&CK framework category T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers may leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to storage environments. Additionally, implementing network monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify potential exploitation attempts and provide early warning of unauthorized access to critical storage management interfaces.